REMOTE COOLING SYSTEM FOR CHARGE-AIR COOLED ENGINES

• US 20090314263A1
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabtec Holding Corp (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wabtec Holding Corp (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Warnick, Matthew L., Sprenger, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/563
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2005/105 Using two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/02 Intercooler
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0443 Layout of the coolant or refrigerant circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/00 Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A remote cooling system (10) for cooling turbocharged compressed air from a charge-air cooled engine (12) which is placed within an enclosed environment. The cooling system (10) comprises a charge-air cooler (14) located a predetermined distance from the engine (12). The charge-air cooler (14) comprises a fluid receiver (16) which receives turbocharged air from the engine 12, an air-to-water heat exchanger (24) which cools the turbocharged air received from the fluid receiver (16), and a fluid return member (26) for returning cooled air to the engine (12). A secondary cooling device (34), located outside of the enclosed environment, provides heat transfer from the heat exchanger (24) within the charge-air cooler (14) to an external environment.

Claims

1. The remote cooling system for cooling turbocharged compressed air from a charge-air cooled engine, said cooling system comprising:

(a) a charge-air cooler located a predetermined distance from said engine, said charge-air cooler comprising;

(i) a fluid receiver which receives turbocharged air from said engine;

(ii) a heat exchanger which cools said turbocharged air received from said fluid receiver; and

(iii) a fluid return member which returns said cooled air to said engine; and

(b) a secondary cooling device to provide heat transfer from said heat exchanger within said charge-air cooler to an external environment.

2. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said fluid receiver comprises an inlet within said charge-air cooler, an outlet within said engine, and a tubular member in fluid communication with said charge-air cooler inlet and said engine outlet.

3. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said fluid return member comprises an outlet within said charge-air cooler, an inlet within said engine, and a tubular member in fluid communication with said charge-air cooler outlet and said engine inlet.

4. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger comprises an air-to-water cooling system.

5. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system comprises a plurality of tubes mechanically expanded or balled into fins having similar hole geometry to provide a tube-to-fin connection.

6. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system comprises a plurality of tubes mechanically expanded or balled into holes within the header to provide a tube-to-header connection.

7. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system comprises a plurality of tubes joined to fins and a header utilizing a brazing process comprising a metal braze alloy based on a CuSnNiP system.

8. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 7 wherein said plurality of tubes are comprised of a brass alloy containing a small percentage of iron to cause said tube to become anneal resistant.

9. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system includes a fin core constructed according to one of a serpentine, square wave, corrugated fin, and oval tube arrangement.

10. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system comprises a plurality of tubes having an end configuration, said plurality of tubes arranged in a predetermined staggered array, a header having a predetermined number of openings disposed in said predetermined staggered array corresponding to said plurality of tubes, and a securing system which secures an end of each of said plurality of tubes within a corresponding opening of said header.

11. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein said air-to-water cooling system comprises a plurality of tubes having a predetermined end configuration, a header having a number of openings corresponding to said plurality of tubes such that said openings are disposed in an end-to-end array and wherein said predetermined end configurations touch, and a securing system which secures an end of each of said plurality of tubes into a corresponding one of each of said openings in said header.

12. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said secondary cooling device comprises a radiator mounted a predetermined distance from said charge-air cooler.

13. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said secondary cooling system includes a cycling system capable of cycling jacket water coolant through said engine.

14. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 including an auxiliary pump for pumping cooled fluid from said secondary cooling means to said charge-air cooler.

15. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said engine is located in an enclosed environment and said secondary cooling means is located outside of said enclosed environment.

16. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein said engine comprises a high performance low emission air-to-air cooled engine.

17. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 16 wherein said engine comprises a Tier II engine.

18. The remote cooling system for cooling turbocharged compressed air from a charge-air cooled engine, said charge-air cooled engine located within an enclosed environment, said cooling system comprising:

(a) a charge-air cooler located a predetermined distance from said engine, said charge-air cooler comprising;

(i) a fluid receiver which receives turbocharged air from said engine;

(ii) an air-to-water heat exchanger which cools said turbocharged air received from said fluid receiver; and

(iii) a fluid return member which returns said cooled air to said engine; and

(b) a secondary cooling device located outside of said enclosed environment to provide heat transfer from said heat exchanger within said charge-air cooler to an external environment.

19. The remote cooling system as recited in claim 18 wherein said engine comprises a high performance low emission air-to-air cooled engine.

20. The remote cooling system for cooling turbocharged compressed air from a charge-air cooled engine, said charge-air cooled engine located within an enclosed environment, said cooling system comprising:

(a) a charge-air cooler located a predetermined distance from said engine, said charge-air cooler comprising;

(i) a fluid receiver which receives turbocharged air from said engine, said fluid receiver comprising an inlet within said charge-air cooler, an outlet within said engine, and a tubular member in fluid communication with said charge-air cooler inlet and said engine outlet;

(ii) an air-to-water heat exchanger which cools said turbocharged air received from said fluid receiver; and

(iii) a fluid return member which returns said cooled air to said engine, said fluid return member comprising an outlet within said charge-air cooler, an inlet within said engine, and a tubular member in fluid communication with said charge-air cooler outlet and said engine inlet; and

(b) a secondary cooling device located outside of said enclosed environment to provide heat transfer from said heat exchanger within said charge-air cooler to an external environment.